


Imaginary

by LayWright



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-07 02:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3157781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LayWright/pseuds/LayWright
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since he was little, Levi was treated terribly by everyone he knew, which only happened to be his parents. Then, one night, a mysterious boy appears in his room that only he can see...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And Then He Appeared

Levi always wonders why he is never good enough. His Father always made sure he thought about that every single day and the reminder was always incredibly painful, emotionally and physically.

The ten year old managed to stumble into his room, hands covering his head and whimpers escaping from his lips. The pain was incredible, but Levi had no right to complain… Right? This is what he deserves isn’t it? He honestly didn’t know what to think anymore.

Making sure the door was completely shut, Levi lowered his hands and curled up on the floor in the middle of the room. He bit his lip and held back the tears, but at this rate it just wasn’t enough. This was a routine for him.

The room was freezing, and after several moments he uncurled and tilted his head, looking back at the open window. Mother must have opened it to let in some fresh air… It was so cold outside but Levi had no energy to get up and close it. His head still hurt so much, and he was sure it was bleeding quite a bit too. Nights like this always made the boy wonder if this was the day he would die… It certainly felt like it. Death was welcoming at this rate for he was miserable, cold and in pain but he was too afraid.

The window was not going to close anytime soon unless Levi got up, so instead he wearily looked around at the darkness of his room. His parents won’t help him, so what else could he do? His room was clean, because his Father would get mad if it wasn’t… But there wasn’t much to clean anyways. Books, broken “toys” that were mostly cheap stuff like an old ball and a poorly constructed toy car, a small figure watching him in the corner of his room…

Levi jolted, slowly pushing himself up and backing away with wide eyes. The figure was that of a male child, probably a few years older than him. He stirred when Levi moved, staring at him questioningly with blue eyes. Levi was startled, and was only able to back up a little bit before taking a deep breath. This kid couldn’t hurt him, right? If he did, he could take him. Maybe. Then again, his head was killing him.

“… Who… Are you…?” Levi made the decision of asking, and it was the others turn to jolt. They just stared silently for a long time, and it made Levi a tad irritated. “What the fuck are you doing here…?”

The other boy looked at Levi with shock, either at his bad language or by the fact that he was discovered. Maybe both. It was then he moved from the corner and slowly made his way towards Levi.

“You can see me…?” He asked, Levi can now see the kid’s large eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“What the hell does that mean?”

The boy shifted a little, looking away shyly. “Not many people can see me…” He murmured, then looked back at Levi and gave a small, polite smile. He extended his hand out for the other and said, “My name is Erwin.”

Levi glared at his hand, then looked at Erwin. “Not many…? Like… A ghost?” He sighed, shoulders drooping slightly. The dizziness was back… Even though it was just a slight movement, the other boy seemed to look concerned and lowered his hand.

“You’re hurt…” Erwin whispered and began to move closer to Levi, causing him to scoot back even more. This kid was a real creep… Levi didn’t want him around much longer.

“Why do you care? I don’t… I don’t even know you…!” Levi snapped, eyes widening as Erwin leaned down towards him. “Go away…! Answer my question already then get out…!” He repeatedly told the other but it was in vain and out of instinct he shut his eyes tight. This kid was probably crazy… What was he going to do? Lick him?

Levi flinched as he felt Erwin touch his forehead… No… He was placing a gentle kiss to his forehead… That caused Levi’s eyes to open suddenly and roughly shove the other back. “What the hell was that!? You asshole, why the hell did you-?” As he shouted angrily at the other, he almost didn’t notice that the pain in his head was slowly fading, eventually becoming only a dull ache in his head. Levi slowly lifted a hand to his head, eyes widening. The wound was… Gone? How was that even possible?

“How did you do that?” He had to ask, a little suspicious of Erwin now. What _was_ he? An alien?

“I don’t know… I just… Did it…” The blond responded and earned a grumpy groan from Levi.

He stood and walked away from Erwin. Levi continued to touch where the wound once was, absolutely astounded. “Well… Whatever. Thanks, I guess.”

Erwin beamed and stepped a little closer. “You’re welcome! You were hurt… No one deserves pain... Right?”

“Um… I dunno. There’s a lot of shitty people in the world… Like my Dad. He throws plates at me. Oh, and I’m not the greatest person either…” Levi admitted and looked back at Erwin. Sheesh, the other kid was staring at him in confusion now. Was he understanding any of this?

“I’m Erwin.”

“You said that already.”

“What’s yours?”

Levi crossed his arms. He was changing the subject… Weirdo. But then again, Levi didn’t really enjoy the topic either. He sighed deeply and lowered his gaze. “Levi, okay? Why are you here anyways?”

Erwin began to wander around the room, eventually coming across a spool of thread on the bookshelf and picked it up. He examined it closely before setting it back down. “I got lost… I’ve been looking everywhere for my family but,” Erwin lowered his head. “I can’t find them…”

Levi’s gaze softened a bit, and he approached. “So… You can’t find your family, huh? That… Uh… Sucks.” He murmured, awkwardly shifting his feet a little and scratching the back of his head. What kind of situation was he being thrown into…?

Just then, the door opened a crack and Levi’s mother poked her head in. “Are you alright?” She murmured. “Your father is asleep right now… Try to keep quiet.”

“Yes, Mom...” Levi said and in response, his mother left the room. She didn’t even question Erwin, and he was standing right beside him. The shorter boy turned to him, eyebrows furrowed. “You weren’t kidding about people not being able to see you. You’re like a ghost or something.” Levi stopped and shuddered. “Creepy.”

“Is your dad… Scary?” He heard Erwin ask and Levi glanced up at him.

“Yeah. He hits me a lot… I guess I deserve it. I never really do anything right. He always tells me that.”

Erwin’s eyebrows knit together and he reached down, grabbing one of Levi’s hands. It threw Levi off guard which earned Erwin a glare. “What are you doing?”

Erwin looked at the door to Levi’s room, then down at their hands. “I… I’ll protect you Levi. I’ll protect you from your mean dad.”

Levi’s jaw dropped. “What? How the hell can you even do that? We just met and people _can’t see you_ remember?”

“I can still move stuff! And… And you don’t seem like a bad person to me, Levi… I don’t think you deserve this pain. I can be your friend too! If… If you want.” Erwin declared and let go of his hand.

This was seriously weird. Levi didn’t expect something like this at all. He stared at him for a second or two, then sighed. “Fine. Whatever. But where are you going to sleep?”

Erwin was quick to respond. “I can sleep next to you!”

“Hm… I guess. You better not make a mess though.”

The blond nodded enthusiastically, a grin returning to his face. “I won’t! I promise.”

 _‘Not bad.’_ Levi thought and silently let his gaze follow Erwin as he wandered the room once again. Maybe he could use a friend… A ghost friend? An imaginary friend? What is Erwin anyways? Before Levi could ask, he was interrupted.

“Levi! Maybe we can read something? These books look interesting…”

“Uh… You can.”

“Why only me?”

Levi frowned, and crossed his arms. “I… I’m not the best reader okay!? I wasn’t taught. My parents don’t feel like teaching me… I never thought about learning…”

Erwin stared blankly, then grabbed a book off of the shelf. “I can teach you! It’s kinda easy… And I can teach you other things too! Oh, you have an animal book too!” He exclaimed and sat down on the floor.

Levi walked over and sat next to him, eyebrows furrowed. “I guess. It’ll take my mind off of everything anyways.”

This wasn’t bad at all… He was curious about _how_ this kid was going to protect him from his father but Levi guessed that he was going to have to find out himself. He just hoped he wasn’t going crazy.

They spent the night looking at multiple books, Levi trying to read out words to Erwin and earned a pat on the shoulder when he read something correctly.

 _‘Friend.’_ Levi looked at Erwin as he was reading out to him, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small smile. _‘Weird way to make one but… I guess this can work out…’_

 


	2. And Then He Kept His Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Levi knows about Erwin is that he can only be seen by him and, of course, his name. How can someone who is practically invisible protect him from his father?

                It’s been only a day since Erwin appeared in his bedroom. It was all very strange, but Levi supposed he would start learning more about his new friend over time. Especially the part that Erwin said about protecting him… Was this weird kid capable of defending him from someone much bigger and much stronger?

The other male was currently lying down beside him on the bed, gaze fixated on the ceiling. Earlier, Levi gave him some of his lunch. It was only half a sandwich and he was grateful that Erwin didn’t make a mess when he ate. Neither of his parents cared when he left the table to eat his food elsewhere. As long as he didn’t make a mess and his father always said it was better if he wasn’t there anyways. At least now, Levi wouldn’t have to eat alone.

Levi sat up and crossed his arms, looking down at Erwin. “Lying around is boring. I can’t go outside right now, so what do you want to do?”

“Well… We could read some more? Do you have any paper or, uh, pencils? We could draw…” The blond murmured. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration and he sat up as well.

“Yeah, no to the drawing…” Levi found himself looking away as he said that. His art wasn’t the best, even for his age, and his parents usually made fun of him for it too. It was better to just not try at all. “I don’t feel like reading more either.”

Erwin blinked before lying back down like he was before. “Oh, well… I think we’re out of choices then.” He sighed.

An idea came to Levi’s mind and he looked back at the other. “How about… We just talk? We don’t really know each other. How the hell did you get rid of my pain like that, huh? Some weird magic shit?”

Erwin, once again, frowned at Levi’s foul language but continued to answer his question. “My people… Can heal wounds… Um, only specific ones though. We can’t heal big wounds like stab wounds to serious places, like the stomach. I can probably heal a small stab wound to the shoulder though…”

“Oh.” Levi said. Well, he doesn’t think he will be getting any serious wounds anytime soon. Hopefully. It was pretty reassuring, knowing that someone can help him when he was in pain. It was very comforting. “Do you always kiss people on the heads to do it?”

“Yeah.” Erwin replied.

“That’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid!” Erwin declared and sat up again, squishing the shorter one’s face gently with his hands. “It’s supposed to be comforting, and sometimes a sign of friendship or affection… And we are friends now, right?”

Levi had begun to respond, before a loud noise was heard outside, causing them both to jump. There was a long moment of silence, then the two could hear footsteps approaching. Levi’s heart skipped a beat and quickly he got off of the bed, earning a confused look from Erwin.

“Shit. Oh, shit.” The brunet cursed and began to walk around hurriedly.

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot… I forgot to clean the table. Damn it, he’s probably pissed.”

Levi sounded terrified. Completely terrified, and it made Erwin look at him worriedly. It sounded like his Dad was going to hurt him again…

Erwin stood and pointed to Levi. “I promised to protect you, Levi. Go back to bed, I’ll stop him.” He declared, and with that he walked towards the bedroom door.

Now Levi wasn’t really sure what Erwin could do about it, but he slowly went back to the bed anyways. Erwin looked pretty determined and Levi almost guessed that the other had no idea what he was doing. That, of course, only made Levi ten times more nervous than he already was.

Finally, the door opened, revealing Levi’s father who had probably drank too much yet again. The beatings were always worse when he was drunk and the kid had to blink away any tears threatening to form. Why couldn’t he had just cleaned up like he was supposed to? When could he do anything right?

“Ya worthless… Sack of shit…” Levi’s father growled between hiccups, a hand on the door frame. “Ya can’t do… Anythin’ helpful… Can’t ya?”

He didn’t see Erwin.

Levi was focused on his father, his attention turning when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

Erwin hadn’t moved. Did he really know what he was getting into? Erwin still looked determined. What was he trying to accomplish? And what was his shadow doing?

His shadow?

Levi blinked.

No, there was nothing there. The brunet guessed it was only his imagination. But he thought he saw his friend’s supposedly nonexistent shadow growing larger, and what looked hands reaching out towards the door. Man, his imagination really acted up when he was under pressure.

“Get yer… Ass over here… I’m gonna kick yer face in…” The man grumbled and took one step forward.

Levi’s father suddenly stumbled backwards, as if he was pushed back just enough for him to be out of the room. He scratched his head in dumb confusion before he tried again. This time, he was pushed again and fell flat on his bottom. Levi admitted it, his father looked like a dumbass.

The door slammed shut. Moments later, footsteps could be heard again, but they were getting farther away. “Hey! That brat’s… Possessed or somethin’…” Levi’s father shouted to Levi’s mother with a sense of urgency in his voice. Gradually, his father seemed to have gone elsewhere and all was quiet.

“Holy… Shit.” Levi whispered, staring at Erwin with mouth gaping. “What the fuck? Was that you?”

Erwin turned and made his way back to Levi, clambering back onto the bed. “It wasn’t much… But he wasn’t able to get inside and hurt you… So at least I was able to protect you.”

Levi didn’t respond. He just stared at the other with wide eyes which caused the blond to look more and more concerned.

“Did I scare you?” Erwin whispered, lowering his gaze.

There was a small pause before Levi blinked and shook his head, as he was stunned into silence before. “N-No… No. You just… Startled me, that’s all. Sheesh, what was that?”

“I told you.”

“No, no… I mean- Nevermind. Let’s just… Take a nap.”

Erwin tilted his head a little, then nodded in agreement. He moved underneath the covers, moving over so Levi can lie down beside him.

They were lying in silence, only hearing the sound of each other’s breathing. Or was it only Levi’s breathing? Now wasn’t the time to think about how weird his friend was. At least today, he learned a bit more about whatever Erwin was.

“Oh, yeah… And Erwin?” Levi whispered, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?”

Levi turned his back on Erwin, not bothering to open his eyes either. “Thanks.”

The blond opened his eyes, staring at Levi’s back and smiled softly. “… You’re welcome.”

It wasn’t long before the two drifted off into a sound sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little late with this Chapter, sorry! Anyways, hopefully I will get used to writing fics again and the chapters will be longer and of better quality.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr as erwinseyebrowsofficial


	3. And Then He Had Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years have gone by now, and so many events took place. In the end, Levi was left at an orphanage with Erwin following behind as usual.
> 
> With his parents out of the picture, he hoped that things would start getting better... But now, Levi isn't too sure.
> 
> [THIS FIC IS NOW DISCONTINUED]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit quicker to type up. To be honest, I am losing confidence in this fic. Especially seeing people on my dash get praised and all kinds of stuff for the things they write. I might not continue this... We'll see. Thank you for the support, however.
> 
> Tumblr: erwinseyebrowsofficial.tumblr.com/
> 
> Feel free to send asks or tag me in whatever.

                Three years have passed since Erwin arrived, and Levi has noticed the change in his life. His Father was unable to lay a finger on him, but the drawback was that his parents believed that he was possessed and didn’t want him around. Then again, they weren’t good people, so perhaps it was for the best.

When a year and a half had passed, Levi’s father died in a bar fight. To Levi, the old man had it coming. Even his mother didn’t grieve all that much. She was always being pushed around, letting her husband do whatever he wanted so she didn’t have to face his wrath. She didn’t bat an eye when he took his rage out on their son. However, it seemed that his mother was still afraid of him. Not wanting to look after the boy, she decided the best thing to do was to drop him off at an orphanage far away from her.

Levi was offended, to say the least. And of course, he felt unwanted. That feeling remained during the next year and a half, as visitors didn’t even give the poor brunet a chance. But, it wasn’t lonely. Erwin was still there for him, and still continued to protect him. Levi was very grateful for his friend, or now his best friend.

Now, Levi sat on the edge of his bed inside the boy’s room. It was a large room, lined with multiple, neatly made beds. Everyone was out right now, probably playing or getting into some sort of trouble. The other kids were noisy, and messy so he chose to stay with Erwin only.

Erwin was moving about inside the room, eyebrows furrowing and a thoughtful look in his eyes. He was trying to remember what he had to tell Levi, and it was something important. That was all he remembered so far…

Levi, on the other hand, was staring down at an old dinosaur plushie that Erwin got for him when a traveler allowed the orphans to play a game for prizes. It was rather stupid looking, but it was a gift from Erwin… So Levi didn’t complain.

“Oh, yeah! Levi!” Erwin exclaimed and walked over to the other. “I heard some people are visiting today! I also heard they are thinking about adopting someone… Isn’t that neat?”

The shorter male looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. “Not… Really… I don’t really care anymore, Erwin. They’re just gonna ignore me as usual. It’s not worth it.” Levi responded, letting out a gentle sigh. He was never looking forward to things like this.

Erwin frowned and sat down next to him. “You’re not going to get anywhere if you act like that… Come on!” The blond stated and slid off of the bed, grabbing Levi’s wrist. “We just have to keep trying. I want you to go to a good home, Levi.”

Levi rolled his eyes. Setting the plush aside, he allowed Erwin to drag him to the door.

“You just have to look nice… And be on your best behavior. Right? I’m sure someone would love to have you in their family.” Erwin said to him, trying to smooth down Levi’s hair with his hands and fix Levi’s shirt. He then patted the other on the shoulders, nodding triumphantly. “Alright! Go out there, okay? I’ll wait out here. Please, don’t get into any fights.”

“Yeah, yeah… I know. I don’t need another shitty lecture from you, Erwin.” Levi chuckled, placing a hand on the door’s handle when his friend stepped aside.

Erwin beamed and waved at him. “Good luck! Tell me what happens!”

Levi glanced behind him and smiled softly. “Yeah… Thanks Erwin.” He said and walked out.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                When Levi returned, he looked rather crestfallen as he approached his bed. Erwin was lying down before sitting up at the sound of his friend approaching. The look told him everything he needed to know.

“It’s… Okay, Levi… Maybe it won’t happen today but it might tomorrow, or the day after…” Erwin began, but trailed off when the other shot him a look.

“You’ve been saying that for the past _year_ , Erwin. No one fucking wants me, okay? They always just look at me with… With _pity_. No one even wants a kid that always looks tired and grumpy… Or a child who’s so damn short.” Levi snapped, getting onto the bed and hugging his knees tightly.

Erwin’s eyebrows knit together and shook his head slowly. “Good heavens...”

“Good heavens? You sound like an old man.” Mumbled Levi.

“Don’t talk like that… Levi… If anyone really doesn’t want you because of those reasons, then… Then they’re… Uh… D-Do… Dou…” The blond paused and looked away in embarrassment. “Dumb.”

That got Levi to lift his head, looking at Erwin with raised brows. “You just can’t curse, can you? I noticed that… Sheesh, Erwin. I need to teach you some things.”

“I-It’s not that, I just-“

“Erwin, the other day you dropped something and shouted ‘Gosh darn it’. Seriously, you sound like you’re fifty.”

“Wait, Levi…” Erwin tried to protest but was cut off.

“And the other time someone was talkin’ shit about me, you called them a _doodyhead_. I was laughing so hard I nearly pissed myself.”

Erwin’s face turned red from embarrassment. “Levi!”

Levi chuckled in response. “What? I’m just sayin’…” He said and moved to sit directly in front of the other. “We’ll start off simple, okay? Now repeat after me. Shit.”

Erwin stared into Levi’s eyes, showing some determination. A moment past before he opened his mouth to speak. “S… S-Sh…” Then Erwin averted his eyes, hands curling up into fists. “...Shucks.”

“Shucks!? Are you fucking serious!?” Levi laughed, patting Erwin roughly on the shoulder. God, his friend was hilarious sometimes. Though Levi was genuinely wondering what the other sounds like if he cursed. “Okay, let’s try a different word then. Say… Fuck.”

“F… F-Fu… Uh… Fudge.”

“God damn it, Erwin.”

Erwin covered his face with his hands. “I-I’m sorry Levi, I can’t do it, okay? Let’s just do something else…” He murmured, shifting slightly on the bed.

Levi chuckled but nodded slowly, patting the blond on the shoulder again. “Yeah, okay. You’ll get it one day, if you want to. Maybe we can try again later, if you’re up for it.” The shorter kid said with a smile on his face.

Slowly, Erwin lowered his hands and mirrored Levi’s smile. “Y-Yeah… Maybe.” He responded. It was good to see that Levi had taken his mind off of what had happened today. It pained him to see his best friend so… _Defeated_.

“Let’s go to bed or something. Today was boring and exhausting.” Levi murmured and got underneath the covers with Erwin following. “Tomorrow, let’s read some more or something. I don’t know.”

Erwin nodded in response, watching the other curl up slightly and close his eyes. “Goodnight, Levi.” He whispered and closed his own eyes.

It was almost like Erwin wasn’t there, because there was no lump under the covers to show he was lying there too. It made Levi wonder about his friend’s existence.

“Yeah… Goodnight, Erwin. Thanks.” Levi responded before going quiet.

Erwin opened his eyes for just a moment, just to silently stare at the other male. He hoped Levi would get adopted by a good family. He hoped Levi would be truly happy…

If Levi didn’t get adopted, Erwin would always support him. If he did get adopted, of course Erwin would never leave his side. He did promise to protect him… Always.

 _‘I’ll be your family, Levi.’_ Erwin thought, and let himself drift off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't made a fic in such a long time and don't promise that I can finish it... Sorry if I'm a bit rusty with this!
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr as erwinseyebrowsofficial


End file.
